Typing games

Typing is a skill schools now expect but rarely have time to teach, and it is much easier to learn at seven than at fourteen. The games here go from single keys to whole sentences. Home Row Hero is the proper lesson — fingers on A S D F and J K L, press the key that lights up — and the rest are practice dressed up as arcade games, so the repetition does not feel like repetition.

There are three games, in the order to play them. Home Row Hero comes first: fingers on the home row, press the key that lights up. Typing Game is the gentle practice: Quokka catches every letter you type, from four big keys up to short words. Typing Pets puts it all together: cute pets hop up to the café table and you type each name to drop a treat in the bowl, so short words turn into a reason to type.

One honest note: typing games need a real keyboard. They will run on a tablet with the on-screen keys, but the point is to learn where the keys are without looking, and that only happens on a laptop or desktop. Ten minutes a few times a week is plenty; accuracy first, speed comes on its own.

Our picks

• Home Row Hero — the lesson: rest your fingers on the home row and press the key that lights up, one key at a time
• Typing Game — the friendly one for beginners — a quokka catches every letter you type, from four big keys up to short words
• Typing Pets — type the pet’s name to feed it — short words, a new pet buddy every level

What they practise

• Where the keys are, starting with the home row
• Using both hands and the correct fingers
• Accuracy before speed — most games only move on when the letter is right
• Reading a word and typing it whole, then a full sentence
• The number row and the space bar

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